Moral condition of Israel During the Judges

There Was No King

a king provided Government

a moral compass

unified leadership

direction / protection /

1 Samuel 8:7 LEB

Then Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people concerning all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.

God has been rejected

Joshua was dead / but not long

Judges 20:27–28 LEB

And the Israelites inquired of Yahweh (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was standing before it to minister in those days), saying, “Should we go out once more to battle against the descendants of Benjamin our relatives, or should we stop?” And Yahweh said, “Go up tomorrow; I will give them into your hand.”

Numbers 25:10–11 LEB

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, turned away my anger from among the Israelites when he was jealous with my jealousy in their midst, and I did not destroy the Israelites with my jealousy.

this time stamp is not a very long period between Moses and the degradation of Israel

The Concubine

A wife but not a wife/ purchased slave

a second class family member

children not share the inheritance

not sanctioned by God

From Bethlehem

became unfaithful then ran home to daddy

daddy welcomed her home - under the law she should have been stoned

daddy should have taught her right and wrong

and send her back to her husband

The Levite

does not say who

dwelling as a foreigner in Ephraim

had a concubine from beth. /

V 3 woo her back

V 4-8 partied for 4 days

V 9 unwise in leaving so late

V 10 would not stay in Jebusite territory

MAP

A man who is separated unto God

A man who God calls his own / chosen by Him

A man who should be the example of a Godly man

His attitude, with moral decline of Israel , should have been- preaching righteousness

The Towns People

V 11 -14 ensuring not to stay in a heathen Canaanite town

V 15 no one would Take them in

cultural travelers were shown hospitality

the host brought them under their protection

V 16 the old man foreighner

V 17-19 no one took me in

V 20 -21 you must not spend the night in the square

The Sodomites

V 22-24 send out the man

Genesis 19 1-9 History repeating itself

the men were exited because there was a new man to molest

the decline

started in the home- the spiritual leaders- Idolatry- morals degrading to the lowest point in a matter of a few years

the callousness of the Levite and the old man

V 25 Levite threw the concubine out to be gang raped all night

V 26 died

V 27-28 had a good nights sleep rose, and went on his way

V 29 - 30 cut her up in pieces sent to the tribes

What is the Purpose of this Account?

There was no king

without a controlling force over us we do what is right in our own eyes

with our sin nature morals will decline quickly

Lord of the flies, William Golding

Man’s inherent evil

The fact that the main characters in Lord of the Flies are young boys suggests the potential for evil is inherent even in small children. Jack, for example, is initially keen for rules and civility, but becomes obsessed with hunting, frightened and empowered by the promise of violence. Jack’s desire to control and subjugate proves more powerful than his desire for empathy, intellect, and civilization, and Jack becomes a brutal and leader. Even Ralph and Piggy, who both strive to maintain their sense of humanity, ultimately join in on the mass murder of Simon, momentarily surrendering to the thrill of violence and mass hysteria. While Piggy tries to ignore their participation, Ralph is devastated when he realizes that he is no better than Jack or Roger, and that he has a darkness inside as well.

in the end when rescued they turn back into civilized boys

we as believers could be like the Levite

But we have King Jesus controlling our lives

the Holy Spirit living in us